We all know that newly elected College Football Hall of Fame head coach Joe Paterno of Penn State loves his job, and fans across the country love him. JoePa’s a legend. But his contract is up at the end of the upcoming season, so the latest round of retirement questions posed by the media to Paterno are cropping up.

My feeling is that he should retire willingly and go out “on top”... but he won't. Since he's an icon at Penn State, it will take Paterno being ousted from the job to have him leave, which for PSU president Graham Spanier, won’t be easy to do emotionally. Florida State has already taken steps to (eventually) transition head coach Bobby Bowden out of the position, and Penn State should also have a contingency plan in place, if they don't already.

When asked about coaching at Penn State, Paterno’s enthusiasm for the job obviously shows (in these videos):





An excellent quality I’ve noticed about JoePa is he still gives good interviews. But can he effectively coach if he didn’t have the current support of his staff and fans? Probably not. Paterno is (more or less) a cheerleader on the sidelines these days.

Paterno has already said he doesn't have any hobbies outside of coaching. So how do you have Paterno step down, yet keep him working? Make him Penn State’s head coach emeritus. Keep him on the payroll, keep him in front of the cameras when needed. In other words, keep him relevant. Do that, and JoePa’s life after coaching could still be fulfilling for him.